About Me

My name is Dr. Alison Yeung, thank you for being here!

I’m a practicing family physician in Ontario, Canada. I have a varied practice, seeing patients from infancy through to end-of-life. On any given day, at least a quarter of my visits relate to mental health. Of special interest to me is the fact that mental health visits by adolescents have increased dramatically over the past decade or so.

For years, I couldn’t quite put my finger on what was going on. Is this ‘just kids these days?’, or was there something underpinning it? They were coming in struggling with similar sorts of presentations- anxiety, depression, self-harm, thoughts of suicide, poor motivation, poor sleep, a lack of purpose. When i began to dig deeper, I realized that many of these kids lacked interests, hobbies and passions. When I asked them what they enjoy doing in their spare time, I kept getting a similar answer- “I don’t know, I just go on my phone,” or, “I mostly just go on YouTube or play video games.”

This seemed strikingly different than my upbringing (I’m a millennial). Something about it felt concerning, and nothing like what I’d learned in medical school or residency training. I began doing some research, to quickly find that there is a great deal of emerging evidence to suggest social media, and too much screentime in general, is causing a whole host of problems in our youth.

What’s interesting is that I’ve never had a parent come to my office and tell me that their child’s mental health is suffering due to screens. However if I ask about it directly, they will immediately agree that it’s a problem. But parents seem overwhelmed by the pressure to allow their children to use technology- I believe that they too, think this is just ‘normal’ these days.

What I’ve learned through all my research is that this is exactly how the Big Tech industry WANTS parents to feel. They want to hook children to their platforms, and hook them young. The younger they’re hooked, the more profit they stand to gain. They want kids to feel left out without their apps, only to beg relentlessly until their parents give in.

But once kids are hooked, once the damage is done, I find it’s extremely difficult to turn the ship around. It can be done, but it’s not easy.

I opened an Instagram account, thesmartphoneeffectmd, in 2023, because I felt that I needed to speak out. I think if parents are equipped with knowledge, they will feel more empowered to change the current narrative. I’ve started this Substack in 2024 because at times I have more to say than Instagram’s hook-worthy posts allow for. I’d like to provide a space for those deeply interested in this topic to hear more, and provide feedback as well.

What I will attempt to provide here are opinions, research to back those opinions where available, and a judgement-free space for parents to get educated and feel empowered to change the current narrative.

So thank you for being here!

Featured On

USA Today- How much TV is OK for little kids? A judgment-free guide for families

CityNews 570 Radio

CBC Radio

Under the Influence Podcast w/ Jo Piazza- How to Help Kids Navigate the Dangers of Social Media and Screens

Motherhood Meets Medicine Podcast w/Lynzy Coughlin- The Impact of Screen Time on Young Minds with Dr. Alison Yeung

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